Shloka 18

Kuntī’s Benediction to Draupadī and the Alliance Gifts (कुन्त्याः स्नुषाशीर्-वचनम् तथा दान-प्रतिग्रहः)

Devanagari script

विचित्रवीर्यस्थ सुतस्य कच्चित्‌ कुरुप्रवीरस्य प्रियन्ति पुत्रा: । कच्चित्‌ तु पार्थेन यवीयसाद्य भधनुर्गुहीतं निहतं च लक्ष्यम्‌,“क्या कुरुकुलके श्रेष्ठ वीर विचित्रवीर्यकुमार पाण्डुके शूरवीर पुत्र अभी जीवित हैं? क्या आज कुन्तीके सबसे छोटे पुत्र अर्जुनने ही उस धनुषको उठाया और लक्ष्यको मार गिराया था?”

Transliteration

vaiśampāyana uvāca |

vicitravīryasya sutasya kaccit kurūpravīrasya priyanti putrāḥ |

kaccit tu pārthena yavīyasādyā dhanur gṛhītaṁ nihataṁ ca lakṣyam ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: “Are the beloved sons of Pāṇḍu—son of the heroic Vicitravīrya and foremost among the Kurus—well and thriving? And was it indeed the youngest Pārtha, Arjuna, who first took up the bow and struck down the target?”

Word by Word

• {'vaiśampāyana uvāca': 'Vaiśampāyana said', 'vicitravīryasya': 'of Vicitravīrya', 'sutasya': 'of the son (here: Pāṇḍu as Vicitravīrya’s son)', 'kaccit': 'whether indeed? (interrogative particle expressing anxious inquiry)', 'kurūpravīrasya': 'of the foremost hero among the Kurus', 'priyanti': 'are well / prosper / fare happily', 'putrāḥ': 'sons', 'pārthena': 'by Pārtha (son of Pṛthā = Kuntī

• here Arjuna)', 'yavīyasā': 'by the youngest', 'ādyā': 'first / foremost (in the sense of ‘first to act’)', 'dhanuḥ': 'bow', 'gṛhītam': 'taken up / grasped', 'nihatam': 'struck down / felled', 'lakṣyam': 'the target / mark'}

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Vicitravīrya
• Pāṇḍu
• Kuru (Kuru lineage)
• Pārtha (Arjuna)
• Kuntī (implied by 'Pārtha')
• bow (dhanuḥ)
• target (lakṣya)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights two ideals valued in the epic world: concern for the welfare of kin (asking if the princes are safe and flourishing) and recognition of merit proven through disciplined skill (confirming whether Arjuna, the youngest, truly accomplished the feat).

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana reports an anxious inquiry about the Pāṇḍava princes—whether they are well—and specifically asks whether Arjuna, Kuntī’s youngest son, was the one who first grasped the bow and successfully struck the designated target in a martial trial.